The top reported proficiency rate is 84% in Math. The lowest is 79% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Stowers Elementary School
Stowers Elementary sits on Barrington Stowers Drive in Lithia, a fast-growing unincorporated community in southeastern Hillsborough County that most people know as the home of FishHawk Ranch. The school serves prekindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public elementary within Hillsborough County Schools, and its enrollment is large for an elementary school, reflecting the sustained residential growth that has made this corner of the county one of Florida's busiest suburban destinations.
The academic picture is strong. On Florida's FAST assessments, math proficiency across the tested grades runs from the low-to-mid eighties into the high eighties, placing the school well above what most Florida elementary schools post. Reading proficiency sits in the upper seventies to low eighties across those same grades. Fifth-grade science, measured on the Florida Statewide Science Assessment, comes in at roughly the same level as the reading results. Taken together, these are genuinely high outcomes by statewide standards, and a parent looking for evidence that the school delivers solid foundational academics will find it here. No multi-year trend data was available in what was provided, so whether scores have been climbing, holding steady, or softening is not something the data supports answering.
The student body skews toward white and Hispanic families, with Asian students making up a meaningful share as well, and a smaller representation of Black and multiracial students. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is quite low relative to most Florida elementary schools, consistent with the affluent household profile of the surrounding FishHawk Ranch communities. Data on English learner enrollment and students served through IEPs was not reported in the materials provided, so a parent with specific questions about those programs would want to ask the school directly.
Lithia itself is a place shaped by planned growth more than by any historic town center. FishHawk Ranch, which began as agricultural and phosphate land in the late 1990s, has grown into one of the Tampa Bay area's largest master-planned communities, with an extensive internal trail network, resort-style amenities, and a purpose-built village center at Park Square. Within the planned community, day-to-day life can feel walkable, with paths connecting homes to schools, pools, and the town center plaza. Beyond those village cores, the broader area is car-dependent. Publicly reported assessments have given parts of FishHawk Ranch a car-dependent walkability rating. Outdoor life is genuinely rich: Lithia Springs Conservation Park, the Alafia River corridor, and the adjacent Alafia River State Park, a reclaimed phosphate site with extensive mountain biking and hiking, are all within reach.
The housing market around the school reflects the community's affluence. Home values here sit notably above the Florida state median and well above the national median, though values have edged down modestly over the past year. Rents have also pulled back slightly. Mortgage carrying costs are substantial at current rates, and the price-to-income ratio suggests this is not an entry-level market. Families considering the area should weigh those costs alongside the school quality picture.
Two Hillsborough County district developments are worth knowing. Voters approved a property tax referendum in late 2024 that will add to homeowners' tax bills annually through mid-2029, with the funds directed toward teacher and staff compensation. That is a real and ongoing cost for anyone buying or renting in the district. Separately, the school board passed a significant boundary rezoning for the current school year, affecting a large number of schools across the county. Families should confirm directly with the district that Stowers's attendance boundaries remain stable for their address, since those kinds of boundary changes can affect assignments even in schools that were not the primary focus of the rezoning.
No programs data was provided for Stowers specifically, and no Title I designation appears in the data. The comparison framework for proficiency relative to other Hillsborough County districts was not applicable here because the county contains only one district, so peer comparison was not possible.
See more original research from School Decision →